Manhunt for dad who snatched his 3 boys at knifepoint from carer
‘Incredibly concerned’
A FATHER was on the run with his three young sons last night after abducting them from their foster family at knifepoint.
Imran Safi took the boys after learning they were to be adopted.
Police said the 26-year-old grabbed Bilal, six, Mohammed ebrar, five, and Mohammed Yaseen, three, as they played in the garden of their foster family’s home in Coulsdon, south London.
He took the foster mother by surprise, threatened her with a knife and assaulted her, police said.
Safi and the boys have not been seen since they sped away from the house in a red Nissan Qashqai last Thursday.
The vehicle was later recovered by police nearby.
The boys’ foster mother did not suffer any serious injuries but was left ‘very shaken’ and ‘understandably distressed’.
Six men and two women, all relatives or associates of Safi, were arrested in Croydon on suspicion of being involved in the abduction and bailed. Police believe Safi is still being helped, however.
Chief Superintendent Dave Stringer, of Scotland Yard, said he feared Safi, who is an Afghan national with links to Pakistan, may have fled the country with the boys, though he is not thought to have their passports.
‘I think the fact that we don’t have any firm leads and that he and the children have been missing for a week indicates that he is being helped and this was planned,’ he said. ‘The longer this goes on the more we believe that it’s possible that somehow he has managed to get them out of the country.’
An all-ports alert was issued shortly after the children were taken and Safi’s image has been circulated to foreign police. Detectheir tives have refused to reveal why the children were in care and would only confirm that their mother is still in the UK.
She and Safi were said to have had regular contact with the children. The boys are not thought to be in any immediate danger from father, who has previous convictions for minor offences. Commander Jon Savell said hundreds of officers were working to find the children, who had been in foster care ‘for some time.’
‘Our absolute priority at this moment in time is the welfare of these three children,’ he said.
‘They have been taken from a place of safety and we are growing increasingly concerned about their wellbeing, particularly as we remain in the midst of a global health crisis.
‘While we do not believe at this time there is any immediate risk to their physical safety, their location, access to accommodation, healthcare, and other provisions is entirely unknown.
‘More than 100 officers are currently working to locate and bring these children home safely.’ He urged anyone who may have seen the red Nissan Qashqai, with registration number PK13 WFO, to ring the dedicated team on 07942599374.
Chief Supt Stringer added: ‘This incident involved the use of a weapon and violence and we are incredibly concerned for these three young, vulnerable children who are now being hidden by an individual who may be armed with a knife.
‘We know there are people with detailed knowledge of the whereabouts of these children, and we fully appreciate there may be very good reasons for those individuals not wanting to come forward.
‘But right now I would strongly urge them to do the right thing and assist us in locating them.’